The event, La Fiesta del Pueblo, will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Chapel Hill High School.
The festival, now in its ninth year, is sponsored by El Pueblo, a Raleigh-based nonprofit organization committed to the state's Latino community.
The largest effort in a campaign to encourage Latinos to vote in upcoming elections will take place at La Fiesta del Pueblo, with some candidates attending to elicit support.
Admission is $1 for adults and is free for children. Artisans and a wide variety of Latino food vendors will be on hand.
Andrea Bazan-Manson, executive director of El Pueblo, said the event will be an opportunity to share Latino culture with the masses. "Our purpose or mission is to promote multiculturalism and understanding," she said.
Dancing and musical performances by local groups will take place at La Fiesta del Pueblo, reflecting the party sentiment. "There's a strong festival aspect," Bazan-Manson said.
The festival drew a crowd of 46,000 in 2001, and she expects to exceed those numbers this year.
Bazan-Manson stressed that the event is not only for Latinos but also for anyone interested in learning about the Latino community. "One of the big things we like to do is include everyone," she said. "We have 600 volunteers, and many of them are not Latino.
"We want them to learn more about the Latin American community in North Carolina," she said. "It's the fastest-growing Latino population in the country."
